RIDING the WAVE
If you cast your mind to Korean cuisine in Australia, your first thought might be of smoky charcoal wafting from Korean barbecue restaurants, or the thumping K-pop soundtrack paired with your Korean fried chicken. Perhaps it’s the sizzling stone pot symphony of a bibimbap, or the bubbling cauldron of kimchi jjigae accompanied by dainty dishes of banchan.
But there’s a growing voice amongst the Korean-Australian community challenging the identity of Korean food in Australia, offering a unique collision of Australian and Korean cultures.
In Sydney’s Surry Hills, Sáng by Mabasa has been flying the Korean-Australian flag since 2018, with Soul Dining and its new offshoot Soul Deli following since. Contemporary Korean diner Jung Sung opened earlier this year in Chippendale’s Kensington Street precinct, with others such as Marble BBQ subtly drawing on their Korean roots.
In Melbourne, private dining experience CHAE has quickly become the most exclusive restaurant to book in the country. The Korean cultural wave – or hallyu – has finally crashed onto our shores in a big, big way.
In 2021, the buzz emanating from Korean cuisine in Australia isn’t from a traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant, but from a two-bedroom apartment in Melbourne’s north. Jung Eun
